The Seduction of the Stolen Princess
by CandyLipsWithPoisonKiss
Summary: AU When Princess Hitomi is kidnapped and held prisoner by a neighboring country, her only chance of release is to win the heart of the king. But who is really falling for whom? VH Warning:lemons and limes
1. The Seduction Begins

Hello and welcome to my fan fiction The Seduction of the Stolen Princess. There will be some adult content, so no children please. I welcome all reviews including flames. Reviews let me know there is interest in my story, so please leave one if you want me to continue. Otherwise enjoy. Disclaimer: I do not own Escaflowne or its characters.

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In the dimly lit space of her privet chambers, Princess Hitomi Kanzaki sat with her legs crossed on the edge of her bed. It was more of a prison, really. A space where she was kept if she was good, a space where she was removed from and put into the catacombs if she was bad. She had caught a bad chest cough from her last stint in the makeshift dungeons for biting her captor's face during a passionate embrace, so she'd promised herself, if only for the sake of her country, that after that miserable week spent in the stinking underbelly of the castle she would be very good from then on.

The slender tapers on the wall were still in the unmoving air, the red velvet curtains motionlessly concealed the doors to the veranda like a deep dark secret. She looked over at the grand clock on the other side of the room. One hour until midnight. He would not be arriving just yet.

Hitomi rose from her sitting position, long legs exposed by the waist-high slit in her pretend negligee, and stood before a full length mirror, studying her appearance. Her chocolate brown hair ran loose down her back, touching the curve of her round behind. A few strands touched she shoulders, one thin strap of her dress had fallen, revealing a tender bar of flesh. The neckline of her gown plunged down to her navel, barely protecting her full breasts from the cold air of the chamber.

She ran a slender hand down between the valley of those fleshing mounds, admiring their perfect shape. The loose black silk flowed gracefully down her body, clinging like a second skin. The high heels of her shoes were designed to compliment the length of her legs and left no reasonable structure for her to walk on. It was perfect.

If all went as planned, she would be home free by morning.

The Stolen Princess strolled over to her desk and flipped open her diary. The thick build of the furniture matched the decor, a decadent harem. The little book, a black vinyl-bound rectangle, opened to the page where she had written about that first night with him, the first night she had been so naked…so scared…so complete.

_It occurred so suddenly that I don't think either of us knew it was happening. As he buried his head in my neck, I looked over onto the floor and saw my skirt thrown on the embroidered rug. I thought, 'I should be wearing that, shouldn't I?' But then there were no more words, no more thoughts, as we became one…_

She slammed the cover shut, dismissing her naïve words. There had been no purpose in that night, only passion, but there was purpose now. They both knew it, and she did not intend to let him wave away her request like he had before, patronizing her like a child.

"I will think on it," he would say as she trailed kissed down his naked chest.

Tonight would be different, though. She had practiced what she would say a hundred times, a thousand times, until the words became a part of her mouth, embedded in her tongue.

She moved again to the bed and prepared to sit when the door swung open wide. She jumped at the sound, the hairs on the back of her next prickling uncomfortably. There he stood, his chest heaving, his eyes dark, mouth pressed into a line.

She regained her composure as he slammed the door shut and bolted the lock.

"Van, I have something I need to discuss--"

"Was he in here?" he cut her off.

She backed into the bed and sat, letting the folds of her dress top open a little.

"It's about what we talked about last--"

"Was he in here!" he was in her face now, heated bodies pressed together. She opened her legs to his stance, more to maintain comfort than erotica.

"WHO!" she screamed back.

"That fuck bag, Allen!"

"No! I don't know what you're talking about!"

He calmed suddenly at her words, and let his eyes take in what she was wearing. They trailed from the red of her lips to the secret places hidden under her dress. His mouth curved into a seductive smile, the one she could never say no to. He lifted his shirt over his head, muscles rippling beneath his soft golden skin. He spread her legs further and climbed between them on the bed.

"No, of course not…" the words flowed from his mouth like honey. "You're all mine."

Their mouths met, bare skin on naked skin, the straps of her dress fell like rain to her sides, they melted into each other, and she was his.

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What is your opinion? Let me know.


	2. Control

Hey everyone. Here's another chapter. YAY! I didn't know exactly what you guys wanted, so I did the best I could. I'm not very imaginative, so I need you all to tell me where you want the general plot to go and what you want to see happen to the characters. More input, people! Which means I need more of you to review. I know that eight people didn't view my one little chapter almost 400 times. There's more of you out there, so show yourself and tell me what you want.

Me and my friend Black Earrings were having a bit of a quarrel. We were talking about love scenes in fics, and she said that the best ones were vague and tender. You know…romantic. I prefer them to be a little more graphic, and they hopefully will be if my boy toy Nuncio does his job ;) Right babe? What do the rest of you think?

I apologize to her readers for her. B.E. is a perfectionist to the max, and she's still working hard on the next chapter of her fic. Leave her reviews, too, cause I know she gets a little discouraged when she doesn't hear from you guys after a while. She loves to be bugged. LOVE YOU, MADDIE! Anyway, on with the fic.

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Hitomi sat on the terrace balcony, thin white sheets her only armor against the cold morning breeze. She stared with wonder out at the scene before her, a spider web of streets and houses stretched over the horizon and disappeared beyond her vision.

As the gentle wind tossed her hair, she swam in a sea of harlequin thoughts, picturing her life as one among those below her. Perhaps she would have been a farmer's daughter, waking with the sun to milk the cows, collecting eggs for breakfast, fetching a pail of water for her mother.

Things would be simple and pure, not a game of truth or dare for her life, the future of her country to be decided by her ability to seduce and manipulate.

The sun peeked warily over the horizon, warming Hitomi's golden skin. _It would already be warm at home,_ she thought, _if I was in my own bed_. _Not in this harem_.

She let herself think of the palace in which she grew up, not letting herself care that her homesickness would drag her heart down into depression. If she was home, she would bathe in the sea beneath her balcony and let herself dry on the warm sand of the beach. She would be draped in a silk blanket by her maidservant and escorted back to her room where a bowl of fresh fruit and nectar would be waiting on her bed.

In the privacy of her chambers, she would let the cool silk drop from her shoulder and pool to her feet. She would feed herself berries and fruit of passion as she lie naked on crisp white sheets. She never told anyone, not even her best friend Amari, that her favorite thing to do as the sun crept over the marble floors was to let the juice and nectar drip from her mouth and on to the delicate skin of her breasts and stomach. The feel of the sticky juices was sensual and arousing and left her smelling of fruit for the rest for the day. Then she would let her hands explore the softness of her damp flesh, letting waves of pleasure shake the remaining sleep from her mind.

Once her heart calmed, she would sometimes walked naked back and forth on the veranda in the warm light. Her hair was longer then, down slightly past her knees, and she would hide her special places from the awestruck boys below. She never let them see her, but she enjoyed how they would stop their games and stare at her, oftentimes for hours, until she tiered of their attention and went inside to dress.

She was a goddess to her people, the only child of the king and queen and the bridge to their future.

All that ended, though, when the fighting began. It was all so sudden that she still didn't even know why. Fanelia began attacking their borders, and her peaceful country was soon penetrated by their alien forces. She was swept away by the giant iron soldiers and given to Van for his own very personal use.

He wanted something and was convinced that she knew what it was, though she didn't have a clue. The entire circumstance surrounding her capture was a puzzle to which she was missing too many pieces to figure out.

On her first night in Fanelia, he had interrogated her for hours and hours in the dungeons. The smell of dank air, old blood, and urine had made her vomit. Still he pushed her, sometimes screaming and pounding his fists of the wall to which she was chained, other times cooing softly and soothingly for answers, but always unrelenting.

It was not until the beautiful Allen, her knight in shining armor, had told Van that he would withdraw his legions unless Hitomi was given proper treatment for a royal prisoner of war. At any other time, the realization of being a prisoner would have scared her, but by then it was just a relief to know that she would be given food and water.

After she was fed and bandaged, Allen sat with her, repeating many of the same questions Van had spat in her face. None of them made any sense to her, though, and she began to focus more on how common and ragged she looked in comparison to the knight's glow. She stopped listening after a while, daydreaming of what it would be like to spend the night wrapped in his arms, lost in his perfectly clear blue eyes.

When it finally became obvious that Hitomi could take no more questioning, Allen offered to house her in his room, saying that he would make sure no one tried to free her. Her heart rose but fell just as far when Van declared it would be he who personally watched over her in his chambers.

When they retired to his bedroom, Van gave her a simple cotton dress to sleep in, but she ignored the garment, refusing to sit or even speak. Suite yourself, he said, and began to undress in front of the four poster bed.

Hitomi turned away, appalled by his lewdness, wondering why she couldn't have stayed with the kind-hearted Sir Allen. As she faced the wall, she finally had time to reflect on all that had happened. Van had taken her from her home, giving her no reason for her capture and no knowledge of her family's fate, and brought her to his strange land. He had treated her like a criminal though she had done no wrong. Abused her though she had caused no harm. Laid blame where there was no fault. Now he expected her to sleep in the same room and be grateful of his kindness.

Her anger boiled to a fire, and she spun around determined to give the king a piece of her mind. She had barely opened her mouth, though, before she stopped short at the sight before her.

Van stood naked, facing the opposite wall, making his way to a sliding door at the other side of the room.

He hadn't noticed her, and she slept that night on the floor, refusing to share the bed with her captor. That hadn't lasted very long, though, and their first night together had lasted hours and into the morning.

In between their love making sessions, Hitomi managed to learn bit by bit what had brought her to her velvet crush prison. Fanelia's enemies had used new technologies, invisibility and magic, to attack the borders and had nearly taken the capital city. Van had begged Hitomi's father for help, knowing that their people were famous for inventive tools and weapons, but the king refused to abandon his position of neutrality.

Van had taken Hitomi in hopes that either she or her father would break and reveal the secrets of their country's legendary war machines. Hitomi knew nothing of war, however, and her father still held fast to his resolution. Van tried to convince her that she'd been abandoned, sold out by her father's greed, but Hitomi only silenced those words with her own mouth over his.

Now here she sat on a broken balcony that was only a shadow of the grandeur she once knew. Fanelia's enemies had been beaten back to the borders, but Van was still determined to come out of the war with her country's knowledge of war. He wanted what he wanted and he was not accustomed to being denied. Someone would tell him what he desired to know or else she would never go home.

Hitomi signed to herself and gave the city below on last glace before she slid off the stone rail and touched her bare feet to the cracked floor. Once inside, she drew the heavy curtains and made her way back to the sprawling bed. Van's sleeping form turned over onto his side and stretched.

"_Oh no_," she thought, "_I know about the meeting with your Minister of War today. Hell if you're going to be on time_."

She crawled in beside the drowsy king, wrapping her arms around his naked body, making him lose all track of time as he lost himself in her.


	3. Sudden Upset

Hitomi tapped her nails impatiently on the hard wooden desk, her chin resting in the palm of her opposite hand while her eyes followed the magistrate's back-and-forth pacing across the dimly lit study.

She had been held for questioning in the small room for what she guessed was about three hours. The longer she was interrogated, the more panicked she felt herself become. Four guards and six court officials were the only things keeping her from bolting for the door, each one staring intensely at the girl in the flower dress. She felt the walls were slowly inching towards her, making her skin prickle and her heart race as they squeezed the air from the room.

_All I've got to do is keep my cool for a few more hours. This is all just intimidation._

"I'll ask you once more," Magistrate Khanis said as he twisted his black beard with his ring-covered fingers. "What technologies are the Invisible Enemies using, and from whence did they come?"

Hitomi remained silent, rolling her eyes before she gave her answer. "I dunno know," she said lazily. "Maybe they flew out of your giant hat."

"Enough!" The magistrate slammed his fist down in front of her, making even the guards jump. Hitomi straightened up defensively but still refused to show emotion.

Khanis brought his face an inch from hers, his stone cold gaze trying break through her mind and into the information she kept to herself. "Don't you realize that lives are at stake? Every day that you keep silent, more and more innocent civilians are dying." He leaned forward. "You could stop it all if you would just tell us what we need to know."

"I can't tell you what I don't know." She kept her face emotionless.

That sent Khanis over the edge. "ARRRAAAGGGGGG!!!" He gripped her throat tightly, sending a wave of fear through the girl, her shocked wide eyes only urging her attacker on.

"Now listen to me, you little harlot. You'll tell me how those bastards are getting through or I'll --" He stopped mid-sentence as his eyes rolled back and he fell to the floor with a groan, releasing Hitomi as he collapsed.

Van stood over Khanis, the blunt end of his sword's handle bright with blood.

He looked vacantly at Hitomi as she held her neck, wincing at the pain it caused to breathe.

"Go to my room." He turned to the officials, all too stunned to move. "I want him out of here. Throw him in the catacombs. Remind me where he is next week."

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"And that was it?" Corigan asked, cautious not to explore anything Hitomi might not want to talk about. She looked over to the old grandfather clock that sat at the corner of the cozy chamber. Nearly midnight. _We have spent the whole day together_, she though, letting a smile play at the edge of her crimson lips.

"Yes." Hitomi replied, recounting the events of the last time she had seen Van almost four months. She took another sip of hot tea from her cup before pulling her legs closer to her body, enjoying the feeling of the cool silk sheets against her flesh. She turned back to the woman who sat at the foot of the bed, watching her adjust her flaxen hair. "And I've been here with you ever since. The next morning a servant shoved me in a carriage with a note from him saying that I was on the coast and it was for the best."

She felt a familiar sting in her eyes and struggled to keep herself together in front of her Madame. "Excuse me, I just…"

"Shhh…It's alright." Corigan took the cup from Hitomi and gracefully placed it on the small golden table beside the bed. The candle that lit the air between them flickered with her movement. She embraced the young girl, stroking her hair soothingly.

Hitomi grasped on to the other tightly. "I'm sorry, Cori," she said through hiccups. "I'm just so….uggh. I just want to go home."

"You _will_ go home, baby. I'll help you, I promise." She rocked Hitomi like a child, gently rubbing her back in an attempt to calm her down. "I have a few friends in court who owe me a lot of favors. I'm sure they'll be able to dig up something."

"Thank you." Hitomi sighed, closing her eyes and letting her muscles relax. She breathed in deeply the scent of Corigan's sweet perfume.

Almost as if on cue, the pair separated and looked into each other's eyes. Hitomi felt the heat rise in her cheeks and travel like a velvet fire down between her legs. Her heart beat rapidly, her skin slicked with warm sweat.

She felt Corigan's gaze sweep over her body, weighing the possibilities, deciding if she was ready. She placed a soft hand on Hitomi's shoulder and felt her take in a ragged breath.

Corigan smile sweetly, and holding her young counterpart's gaze with her clear azure eyes, pulled down the strap of the thin white night gown that separated them. It fell willingly, the soft fabric slid over the smooth skin of Hitomi's breast.

Hitomi reached out to Corigan, sweeping her hair behind her shoulder. She moved her shaking hand lower to the lace thread that held the front her Madam's red negligee closed. As she worked the ties loose, she felt the tender skin beneath her fingers rise and fall. Corigan's chest began to move more quickly, her own breathing becoming heavy with lust.

Still Hitomi paced herself, trying to stifle the growing desire that pulsed below. She opened Cori's blouse, freeing the perfect orbs of flesh. She watch the pale nipples harden at contact with the cool air. Moving her gaze back to Corigan's face, she saw the passion in the other's darkened eyes, and hastily removed the other strap of her own gown.

Corigan pushed Hitomi gently back into velvety material of the bed with one hand, tracing the hallow of her neck with light kisses.

"Cori…"Hitomi gasped out, here eyes fluttering. "Please…"

As the candle by the bed burned down and sputtered, a silhouette of two graceful bodies remained. Hitomi held tightly to the bed posts while Corigan's hand slid effortlessly past the thin dress protecting the rest of her thigh, and she knew her.


	4. A Shift in Fate

Sorry I left you hanging with the other chapter. I was just so excited about updating that I forgot to explain myself. Anyway, I'm glad to be back this soon. I apologize if this story seems to be jumping around. Yes, it's still VH, just bear with me.

Also, I'd like some suggestions as to what to call Hitomi's home country. If you have something you think would make a cool name, put it in comment and I'll take a look. Please just don't pick anything that another author has created themselves. That would be very bad.

Disclaimer: I don't own Escaflowne. Stop reminding me.

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_This is all so beautiful. If only it could be like this always…_

Hitomi breathed in the fresh air, feeling rejuvenated by her walk along the sandy shore. She laid back into the squishy comfort of the dune, rested her tired feet, and prepared to watch as the sun sank below the horizon in a blaze of pink, orange and purple.

Corigan had cut her hair that morning. It was now layered just past her collar bone. Most girls who had had their hair for as long as Hitomi would have whined and cried and begged not to change it, but nothing really phased her anymore. Change had become the only constant in her life.

She closed her eyes and traveled back through the past few months, nearly adding up to a year. _Gods, was so terrified when the Fanelian army stormed my home castle. I'll never forget being huddled in the closet with my mother. I almost believed that she could protect me if our forces were penetrated. Oh, the look on her face when they ripped me from her arms. I could almost see her heart breaking…_

She squeezed her eyes tighter, but the tears escaped from beneath her lids nonetheless. _Then Van. I don't understand him. He could cage me in that disgusting cell for days, but he could be so tender when he made love to me. Then again, he was also an animal in bed at times. Ahhhh! I don't understand him! How could he be so like two different people at the same time? He must be some kind of monster. _

She played with the sand under her hands. _What's wrong with him? How could he just uproot me, defile me? He destroyed my family, my home, the stability of my county's future. How could he love his own country so much and feel nothing for me? _Her eyes shot open, shocked at her half-revelation. _Why should I care if he loves me or not? I **don't** care. I don't. I just…I just want to go home! And instead he sent me here. Why did he do this to me? Why does he do anything at all? Are all men like this? Corigan would never treat me that way._

Corigan was a rich heiress, the only daughter of the wealthiest merchant in the small bayside village. After her father died, she decided she would never marry, choosing to have control of her own life rather than be under the heel of one of the oppressive suitors he had lined up for her. She continued to run the family business from Prudence House, the mansion she built only a mile away from the sea.

It was unclear exactly why Van had chosen to sent Hitomi to Corigan. She was a prisoner of war, and any one of the smaller castles or fortresses around Fanelia that were secluded from the fighting but still heavily guarded would have been a more than sufficient place to keep her. Instead he placed her in an unsecured fishing village.

The truth of that matter was that Hitomi could have escaped about a hundred times since she'd arrived. She had only stayed because of Corigan. The woman had showed her kindness and understanding, things that had been few and far between for a very long time. She understood Hitomi and had listened for hours into the night as she talked of home, Fanelia, Van, the inquisitions, and everything else under the sun. She was not a warden but a mentor.

Hitomi pushed herself up, her hands sinking into the dune. She looked out across the darkening water. The sky had transformed from smears of bright colors to deep blues, purples, and black. A string of twinkling stars peered out from behind a cluster of soft grey clouds. The air had turned for crisp to a sharp chill.

She felt her skin warm as she thought back for a moment on the night she shared with Corigan, a night much like the one she stared into now. _Am I in love with her? Is that possible?_

She resolved to think about it on the walk home.

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Corigan looked over the letter, then back at the servant who had given it to her.

"Are you serious? Are you fucking serious?" The venom in her raised voice made his tremble.

"I'm sorry, Madame Corigan. I only report what I am asked."

She rolled her eyes. _Why am I always surrounded by useless fools?_

"This is all true? Everything?"

"All written by my lord's hand. I witnessed it myself."

"When are they coming?"

"They are five days time from here. Only his majesty and a small caravan will come into the village, though. They don't want to cause a scene."

"Really? A fleet of 400 levi ships is not wanting to cause a scene? Uggh. Just tell me this: What are the kings plans for the girl?"

"As far as I know, he plans to use her as leverage to force her father into the war. He'll take her to Asturia until his demands are met."

"And in the mean time?"

"She'll be given proper treatment."

"I know what his idea of proper treatment is. What of my request to accompany her as added protection?"

"Denied. He wants you here to continue your work."

"Did they find out who sent the assassin?"

"No, Madam. He died from blood loss."

"Then how does the king propose to ensure her safety when he kills anything that comes within an inch of him?"

"Uhh…don't you think you're overreacting? The girl really is none of your concern."

Corigan sighed and rubbed her temples, wishing that killing this idiot would somehow take out the king. _If only I wasn't a scientist…_

"And if her family refuses his demands?"

"He'll have her killed."

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Hitomi shut the heavy wooden door behind her, glad to be out of the cold. She hurriedly walked to the main study, knowing there would be a warm fire place waiting.

She entered the study, making a beeline for the flames in the hearth. She rubbed her arms and hands, even running her finger through her frosty hair. It seemed almost every part of her body had been kissed by the cold night wind. Her shivering lips stilled as the comforting heat chased away the chill.

"Hitomi."

"Ahh!" She spun around. "Oh, Cori. You frightened me."

Corigan sat in a lush velvet chair behind a large dark-wood desk. She twirled a stemmed glass of red wine in one hand, her feet propped up on the sturdy surface. Her robe had fallen open, revealing her green night gown.

Hitomi couldn't help but feel slightly uneasy. She had always known to keep herself well kept no matter how informal the situation. _She looks so relaxed. Is that the right word? I've never seen her so…unaware?_

"My page returned while you were gone. It appears much has happened since you've been gone from Fanelia." She stretched out her hand, motioning for Hitomi to approach her.

"King Van has finally made a move on the enemy. It was found that Zaibach is responsible for the invisible soldiers. Don't ask me how, just chalk it up to those brilliant magistrates up in the capital. He's in en route to Prudence House as we speak, and then will begin the campaign against the enemy while in alliance with Asturia." She continued to stare into the fire as Hitomi sat on the desk. "It would seem that Fanelia is not yet done with you." She took a sip from the glass, letting the flavor settle on her tongue before taking a swallow.

Hitomi didn't know what to make of the information. She was still put off by Corigan's mood. Something about her seemed cool and sarcastic, so unlike her usual warm self.

"What does this mean?" She reached out and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind the Madame's ear. On her lobe was a rich jeweled crescent moon, the same as the seal Cori used on her letters and official documents.

"Hitomi, there's something you should know." She put down her wine and swept her feet under the desk, taking the girl's hands in hers. She could tell that the concern in her voice had a troubling effect. Hitomi looked back into her face and prepared for the worst.

"You remember what I told you of myself, my house, my work?" Hitomi nodded slowly. Corigan licked her lips before beginning again. "Well, I was dishonest. I was told not to make you feel you were in danger."

"Danger? The only person I'm in danger of is Van."

Corigan shook her head. "You told me you were attacked just before you were moved. That magistrate was found dead by Van in the library. The thing that attacked you was a doppelganger. No one knows who sent it. He never recovered from the wound to the head. I was told to make sure no strangers were allowed near you."

"Told? I thought you hadn't been given any instruction--" She was cut off.

"I'm sorry. Gods I'm so sorry." Her eyes welled up, and she placed her forehead on Hitomi's palm, asking forgiveness. She composed herself. "You weren't just dropped on my door step. You see, my father, he wasn't a merchant. He was a skilled weapons craftsman. He could make anything for any purpose. If Fanelia needed something to cut through metal, to melt stone, to kill with one strike, he could think it up and build it. I carry on his work now. The king knew that if there was any place that you would be safe and off of enemy radar, it would be here with me."

Hitomi felt the room begin to spin. Nothing made sense. Nothing connected. "What does any of this have to do with me? If you're a weapons master, then why did Van think I knew about the invisible technology?"

Corigan released her hands and stood up. The flicker of fire light shone the single tear that slid down her cheek. "Because," she said as she turned away and walked to the tall bookshelf. "I told him you did. Your people are peaceful, but they are capable of building war machines unlike anything any nation could dream about." She sniffled as she pulled down a thick brown book and walked back to the desk. "I thought that if anyone would know how to create or destroy those things, it would be your family."

Hitomi's muscles tightened and her eyes watered. She was unable to speak, something like rage rose in her gut.

"You see, here," Corigan laid the book down and opened up to a diagram of guymelef. "These sketches, they're in your country's native language. The stately language, if you will. They're similar to the descriptions of the Invisible Enemy we were able to obtain from the battlefield." She voice quivered, and her tears spilled onto the pages. "I told him you might know something because you where the only heir to the throne. That you might be more willing to help because you were young and maybe open-minded." She was on the verge on sobbing know, the anger in Hitomi's vacant stare like a dagger in her heart.

Cori took the other's face in her hands and stared her dead in the eye. "But I swear, Hitomi, I swear on my life and my father and the moon and sun and stars that I never, ever, _ever_ once suggested that he kidnap you; that he destroy a part of you the way he did. When you first came here, I thought that you'd been broken. You were so dead inside, I…" She cried freely. "I never thought I'd come to know you as you are now. So full of life and love." She stroked Hitomi's cheek, and both were unashamed of their tears.

"Oh, Cori," They embraced as sisters do after long absences, grievances and wrongs all forgotten. "I forgive you. For everything."

"They're coming to collect some weapons I made," she spoke into Hitomi's shoulder. "And they're taking you with them."

Hitomi held tighter to her friend. "Why? Onto the battlefield? He knows I don't know anything. Why can't I go home?"

"I don't know, darling. But he can't be swayed. Once he's made up his mind, nothing can change him."

"I know, I know." Her went up an octave. The girls released each other from their chokeholds.

"Look, why do you just go to bed? They won't be here for a few days. We can sort everything out in the morning when we've both had a while to digest everything. Alright?"

Hitomi nodded.

"Alright," Corigan said. "Get yourself upstairs then."

Hitomi stood and moved to the exit. She had just stepped out when she hesitated and turned back at the door. "Corigan?"

"Yes, dear?" She was already sipping from her wine glass again.

"Umm…about the other night. I just wanted to thank you. I was feeling lost and confused. Worthless." She looked down at the floor, searching for words in the perfect marble. "And I needed someone to love me. Thank you for that."

Corigan's smile was genuine, spreading from her mouth and reaching her eyes. "I do love you. And I'll be here for you whenever you need me."

Hitomi nodded again and stepped into the hallway, walking toward her bedroom.

Corigan watched her leave and set her glass down. _How can I get her out of this?_

She felt a dark shadow overcome her, and swung at the goblet. It shattered against the opposite wall, and the crimson liquor pooling where Hitomi had stood.


End file.
